Policy 4: Academic Organization and Program Planning

4.A.1 Administration and Governance

The dean shall be the principal academic and administrative officer of a school or college, and the presiding officer for faculty meetings of the school or college.

Each dean shall be responsible for matters at the school or college level including but not limited to enforcement of admission requirements; the efficiency of departments and other divisions within the school or college; budgetary planning and allocation of funds; faculty assignments and workload; recommendations on personnel actions; curriculum planning; academic advising accountability and reporting.

Departments and programs within a school or college shall develop their working structures and rules, subject to the approval of the dean and provost and in accordance with policies established by the Board of Regents.

Article 5.A of the Laws of the Regents specifies the shared governance principles of participation. A school or college faculty shall collaborate with the dean in the shared governance of the school or college. Subject to specific Board of Regents requirements, voting membership of a school or college faculty shall be determined by its faculty.

History:

• Adopted as Policy 4.A: Administration and Governance of Academic Units, June 15, 2017, but did not become effective until the related administrative policy statements (APSs) were implemented on January 1, 2018.
  • NOTE: Policy 4.A and 4.B were the result of significant changes to both the structure and content of the previous versions of Article 4, Policy 4 and related policies.
• Last reviewed January 1, 2018.

4.B.1 Academic Program Review

Review of all degree programs shall be conducted at least once every seven years within an established timetable. As appropriate, professional accreditation processes may be used to meet some, or all, program review requirements. Professional accreditation processes may require adjustments to the seven-year time period. The Board shall receive an annual report on program review activities and, where appropriate, recommendations for Board action.

4.B.2 Notification of Accreditation Status Change

The president and chancellors shall notify the Board of Regents of any change in the status of institutional accreditation or a change to the accreditation status of a degree program, department, or other unit that results in probation or loss of accreditation.

4.B.3 Proposals for Academic Units, Degree Programs, and Other Credentials

Each campus shall have processes for the development of proposals for new academic units, new degree programs, and other credentials that are consistent with the corresponding Administrative Policy Statement.

Each campus shall have a process for name changes of academic units or degree programs. Name changes shall be approved by the Chancellor and communicated to the Board of Regents through the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

4.B.4 Academic Unit and Degree Program Discontinuance

Upon recommendation by the chancellor, the Board of Regents may discontinue a regent approved academic unit or degree program for educational, strategic realignment, resource allocation, or financial reasons, or a combination of these reasons.

A recommendation to discontinue an academic unit or degree program shall only be made in collaboration with the faculty and administration of the degree program or academic unit, and provost.

Each campus shall have processes for the discontinuance of academic units or degree programs that are consistent with those provided in the corresponding Administrative Policy Statement.
Upon a decision by the Board of Regents to discontinue a degree program, every reasonable effort will be made to allow students to complete their degrees. Termination of appointments of tenured or tenure track faculty that occur as the result of formal discontinuance of an academic unit or degree program shall follow procedures detailed in Policy 5.F: Termination of Faculty Appointments Following Program Discontinuance.

4.B.5 Records of Degree Completions

The campus registrars shall maintain the official records of the candidates to whom degrees are awarded.

The conferring of degrees and the issuance of academic transcripts may be withheld for failure to meet financial obligations to the university.

4.B.6 Degree Revocation

Upon recommendation of the faculty and the chancellor, the Board of Regents may revoke a degree if it is discovered that degree requirements were not satisfied due to academic misconduct or administrative error. Procedures for revoking a degree shall be consistent with the corresponding Administrative Policy Statement.

History:

• Adopted:  As Policy 4.B: Academic Planning and Accountability, June 15, 2017, but did not become effective until the related administrative policy statements (APSs) were implemented on January 1, 2018.
  • NOTE: Policy 4.A and 4.B were the result of significant changes to both the structure and content of the previous versions of Article 4, Policy 4 and related policies.
• Revised:  July 1, 2020, non-substantive changes made to section 4.B.4 to replace “terminate” with “discontinue” and updated old reference to Appendix 4.1 to Regent Policy 5.F after Appendix 4.1 was rescinded and policy statements previously stated in Appendix 4.1 were incorporated into Regent Policy 5.F.
• Last Reviewed:  January 1, 2018.